Vehicle stopping device



Sept. 15, 1931.

F. w. STOHR VEHICLE STOPPING DEVICE Filed on. 16, 1930 I N VEN TOR.

f/Zmek Zafiv BY A TTORNE Y.

Patented Sept. 15, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK W. STOHR, OF SOUTH ST. PAUL-MINNESOTA, A SSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF FREDERICK R. SCI-ILIC]':['1I1\TG, OF SOUTH ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA VEHICLE STOPPING DEVICE Application filed October 16, 1930 Serial No. 489,101

' This invention relates to devices designed for use in roadways for vehicular travel and is herein designated as a vehicle stopping device which indicates its main use. The deviceis built into roadways flush with the surface thereof, and is preferably installed at variouspoints on all roads leading into a town, or to important road crossings. embodies a mechanism operated by central control, said control means and the mechanism arranged to operate the stopping device or devices so as to present means projected upwardly from the road surface and transversely of the road, to cause the stopping of vehicles. The mechanism embodies a stop signal and also certain means designed to stop vehicles if the signal is disregarded. The invention is intended mainly for use on highways leading out from important intersections, as in small towns. For example, there maybe only. one important street intersection in a town, the roads extending therefrom in fourdirectionsr With these vehicle stopping devices placed in said roads at predetermined distances a central control station is providedin accessible location. It will now be readily seen that bandit raids and bank robberies can be reduced or eliminated. Bandits hitherto prey largely on small town banks and escape by means of motor cars. When a bank robbery or the like has taken place,.a larms of various kinds are used butusually after the robbers have fled in their cars. With a central control my devices, in such instances are put into opera- .tion preventing escape of the bandits or at least retarding their flight sufficiently for a posse or other authorities to catch 'upto them. I A

f In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of two roads diverging from asinall town. and showing a pair of my devices connected with a central control station. 1 I

1 Fig. 2 is'alongitudinal sectional elevation of a roadwayfwith one of my devices installed in, the road and 7 connected to the master control.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of my road devices revealing its inteoperative position and also the stop signal operative in conjunction therewith.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals and letters, A designates a main highway and B an intersecting or diverging highway extending from a street or road crossing where is located a business building C, as on the main corner of a small town. D represents a master control station near the road crossing or it may be within another building or located in an accessible place near said road intersection.

I will describe the construction of one mechanical road unit, it being understood that they may be used in any suitable number of units.

The road unit comprises an elongated boxlike housing 5 of which 5A is the bottom, 5B the long sides and 50 the ends. Thebox is open upwardly and its length is the same as the width of a road, 6 are a pair of lids lying parallel and longitudinally. on the top edges and their adjacent inner edge parts normally close together. 7 are a pair of shafts journaled in the ends 50, one under each said lid near its inner edge and fixed to said lid, as at 8. These lids, when down provide a smooth surface in a common level with the road surface.

To the lower side of each lid is fixed as at 10 .a'rowof angularly directed prongs 9 pointing downwardly and outwardly from the lower side of each lid. The outer edge of each lid may be beveled as 6B and lies on a corresponding angular face of a side wall 5B. 11 is a number of rigid downwardly directed arms on each lid, arranged in pairs of which both members are directly opposite each other and fixed of course in spaced relation one on each lid. The free ends of said arms are bored for pivotal connection with the upper ends of a pair of links 12, the lower ends of which are bored for pivotal connection, as at 13 to the lower ends of a pair of actuating links 14 normally in inverted V-shape arrangement,

their upper ends bored and in alinement to engage on a long actuating shaft 15 which line position shown dotted in'Fig. 3, links- 12 meantime mov ng upwardly and raising the lids until they are vertical (shown dotted inFig. 3) and back to back, prongs 9 as.

suming of course an outward and upward direction both ways from the lids. The beveled edges 6B of the lids are brought to- I gether to provide an upwardly directed knife-edge. To assure said upward movement of the lids the lowerfends of the actuating links lei'may ride'on angular faces 16F of a rigid web 16 fixed in the housing. One of the actuating links 1 1 as to the left in Fig. 3 may have an outward, offset arm 14A to the outer endof which is pivotally connected a signal actuating link 17, the other end of which is connected at 18 to a signal arm 19 pivoted at 20, one ne'areach end of the box, said arm normally horizontal as shown dotted in Fig. 4 and its free end carrying a sign plate 21 with the word Stop on it.

When the main actuator shaft is pulled down to raise the lids, arm 14A and link 17 will raise the signal arm 19 out of the box to vertical position shown in full lines inv Fig. 4. With the signals thus swung .upwardly trafii'c must stop or drivers disregarding the stop sign wlll have their 1 tires ripped open by the prongs 9 and fursignal to stop traffic.

ther cut by the knife edge 6B. Seetire 22 (Fig. 3). I I have now described preferred mechanical means for raising the lid membersand Obviously other mechanical means may-be used so I do not wish to limit the means to those shown. All parts must be substantial and of such design as to withstand the'weight of any vehiclewhich may be driven over the device.

in Figs. 3 and 2 designate any. suitable parts of box 5 projecting therefrom to hold the device rigidly imbedded in concrete or other road material.

A number of mechanical devices may be suitable for causing a downward pull on the main actuator shaft 15. I have shown a lower shaft 24 longitudinallyof and within the lower part of the box 5 and journaled in the ends thereof, one end of the shaft extending outwardly of the box and carry ing a sheave 25 to which is suitably attached a cable 26. 27 area number of interior-sheaves on shaft 24 to each of which is fixed a cable 28 also connected to shaft 15. The sheaves and cables are so arranged thata pull on cable 26' causes cable 28' to pull shaft 15 downwardly and open the lids. The pull on cables 26v may be exerted from a central control, as the station marked D in Fig. 1. In said station may be mounted a lever 29 pivoted at 30 to the center of a fixed ratchet gear 31, an arm 29A of lever 29 extending below the fulcrum 30 and having the cable 26 connected to it.

32 is an electric switch in the path of movement of arm 29A to cause closing ofthe switch and sounding of an alarm 33 in circuit 3%. One lever 29 may of course operate a number of the devices or several levers -may be provided for selective operation of devices inoperative positions on all roads leading away from the vicinity of robbery as the devices are preferably some distance away from the central control means.

The advantages ofthe device have herein been fully set forth and will now be fully understood. For wide roads the devicemay comprise two or more units in alinement and operable as one unit, the rotary shaft 24 simply being extended through all the units as one shaft; 1 I

I claim: 7 v 1. A vehicle stopping device of the class describedmomprising' an elongated mechanism housing fixed transversely of and in a roadway, the top of said housing normally fixed'in a common plane with the road surface, hinged lids in said housing normally closing its top, a row of prongs fixed to the lower side of each lid member and directed downwardly and outwardly Within the its housing when said lids are-in closed position, means within the housing operatively connected with said lids and remote control means connected to said lid means to raise the latter and position said prongs in upward and outwardly directed position above the surface of the road, said lids being provided one pair to each housing, hinge means at their adjacent edge parts, to. provide for raising the lid membersto vertical positions, F

ing opening with its free edge arranged to rest on an outer edge of the housing...

3. The structure specified in claim 1, said lid members comprising each an elongated plate normally closingone half of thehousing opening with its free edge arrangedtto rest on an outeredge of the housing, said free edges of the lid members beveledto present an upwardly directed knife edge transversely of and above the roadisurface for the purpose set forth. Y

ito

4. A vehicle stopping device comprising an elongated upwardly opening box arranged to be fixed transversely of a road bed, an elongated pair of lids normally closing said open part of the housing and in a plane common to the road surface, said lids hingedly mounted edge to edge at the central part of the housing, a rotatable shaft journaled in the lower part of said housing, cable actuated means on said shaft for rotating the shaft, and further means within the housing operatively connected with said lids and said rotatable shaft to raise the lids simultaneously to upright positions, a row of prongs fixed on each lid and arranged to be exposed to contact with the wheels of vehicles only when said lids are raised.

, 'In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' FREDERICK W. STOHR. 

